One Game In, Challenge Gets Harder for Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Gators burst onto Spurrier/Florida Field for Saturday’s season opener against Miami, determined to finish strong, a mantra they used throughout preseason camp.

One problem: they never got started.

On a sun-splashed afternoon at The Swamp that featured all the trimmings that make college football so unique, Florida fizzled against its historic rival from down south, losing 41-17 to the No. 19-ranked Hurricanes. By the time the fourth quarter started and freshman quarterback DJ Lagway took over for injured starter Graham Mertz, many in the sold-out crowd of 90,544 had already exited the building.

“They beat us today, and I don’t have a ton of excuses,” Gators head coach Billy Napier said at his deflated postgame press conference. “Miami outplayed us, they out-coached us, and give them credit.

“I mean, it’s embarrassing, to be quite honest with you. That’s how I feel. That’s how our kids feel.”

The highly-anticipated start to Napier’s third season could not have gone much worse for the Gators, who suffered their first defeat in a home opener in 35 years. The Gators owned an NCAA-best 34-game win streak in home openers dating to a 24-19 loss to Ole Miss in 1989, the season before Steve Spurrier returned to his alma mater and took the Gators to unimaginable heights.

The Gators woke up Sunday morning with a six-game losing streak and more questions than answers.

The trouble started soon after kickoff Saturday when the Gators could muster only 13 yards on their opening drive. The Hurricanes took over at their 16 following a Florida punt and blew down the field behind transfer quarterback Cam Ward, who capped an 11-play, 84-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Cam McCormick, a 26-year-old tight end in his ninth season of college football. Unfortunately for the Gators, the man-against-boys theme continued as Ward, the talented transfer from Washington State, shredded UF’s defense in a 26-for-35, 385-yard, three-touchdown performance.

Besides an interception in the first quarter by Gators linebacker Shemar James that led to Trey Smack’s 41-yard field goal, Ward faced few hurdles and a nonexistent pass rush most of the afternoon.

“I feel like there were a lot of self-inflicted wounds,” James said. “They executed when we didn’t. That’s why the scoreboard turned out like it did. This surprised me. It’s just the first game. We’ve got plenty to go. This game won’t define us.”

The Gators must play much better than they did on Saturday to ensure that happens. A costly roughing-the-passer penalty on Justus Boone on third-and-10 kept Miami’s opening drive alive, leading to Ward’s touchdown pass to McCormick.

That was the first sign that perhaps 2024 would not be much different than 2023 when the Gators lost their final five games to finish 5-7.

Boone, a well-respected veteran who missed last season due to a knee injury, said plays like that can’t happen.

“I take full accountability, full responsibility for that,” he said. “We were just talking about it in the team room. I was just telling them about how I take — the first mistake. I feel like I was the one who made the first mistake. I was the one to put us on a bad path by getting that roughing-the-passer, just an undisciplined play, undisciplined call, and that’s something I’ve got to work on for myself, and that’s my take from it.”

Still, there was ample time for the Gators to respond and take control of the game. They never came close other than a 71-yard touchdown run by senior Montrell Johnson Jr. that cut Miami’s lead to 17-10 late in the first half. Miami was the one to respond as Ward connected with Xavier Restrepo for a 24-yard scoring strike with 45 seconds left before halftime, putting the Hurricanes up 24-10 at the break.

In a matchup between former colleagues Napier and Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal, both entering their third seasons with outsiders wondering which one would depart with a much-needed win, Cristobal won that prize.

Miami led 38-10 late in the third quarter when Mertz suffered a concussion and was replaced by Lagway. With a quarter to play, the Hurricanes were already in celebration mode.

“I knew when I got to Miami, there was a lot of work to do, and these guys have been through a lot, and they made the decision that it was enough, they’ve had enough, and they were going to prove that by the way they played the game,” Cristobal said. “This is a big rivalry game for us. I never got to play in a game like this. Miami hasn’t been here in 16 years and hasn’t won in 20-plus years. So, you think this game was big? You think the amount of animosity and hatred, bad blood between the fanbases, you think it amped it up a little bit? Come on, it was through the roof.”

Following an offseason marked by off-the-field changes for the Gators, they must regroup and change their fortunes between the lines. It will not be easy with the nation’s most demanding schedule.

Napier came under fire from the usual critics on social media following the game. He spoke confidently about his team all summer and how the culture and roster have improved. The Gators made great strides in the weight room, Mertz’s return for a final season provided a capable field general, and a mix of transfers and true freshmen boosted the talent.

Still, none of that produced the results the Gators and their fans hoped for in the season opener.

If the age-old question in sports ever applies, where do they go from here? – this seems like one of those times. The Gators have a week to prepare to host Samford, the only supposed cupcake on the schedule.

“There’s no excuses,” Napier said. “Keep our mouths shut, show up and work. We have to do better. Keep it simple. That’s how I feel. I do think that our players will show up, and they will respond.”

First, they must start better if they plan to finish with a victory.